Weeks after actor Naseeruddin Shah wrote about being disinvited from an event at Mumbai University, local activists have alleged that filmmaker Anand Patwardhan was not allowed inside the university’s Kalina campus on February 28. The filmmaker had visited the campus in the afternoon to meet Bhadant Vimamsa, a Buddhist monk and a former PhD student at the university, who has been protesting on campus to get the Pali Department an aided status.

“We arrived in a group of five to 10 when the security naturally asked us the purpose of our visit. They didn’t permit our entry once they knew that we wanted to meet Bhadant Vimamsa. Eventually, he arrived at the gate and we could speak, however, it is still unfortunate to see how the student is being ill-treated at the university,” said Patwardhan.